Of these 80,000 children, about 6,700 were unaccompanied and nearly 39% of the children who arrived were forcibly returned.
On 20 March, Iran announced new criteria that Afghans must meet to legally stay in the country, potentially forcing about 4 million people to leave. Nearly 223,000 Afghans returned from Iran in June through the Islam Qala crossing point alone compared with just under 86,000 in May.[1]
The increase in Afghans leaving Iran has also been driven by the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East on 13 June – but more than 36,000 people crossed the border on 26 June - the highest number of arrivals in a single day from Iran in 2025 and after a ceasefire was announced.[2]
Save the Children staff working in Herat at the border with Iran said people were arriving at the crowded crossing point by bus after travelling for days, with many only carrying bags after selling their possessions.
In June, families comprised more than two thirds of all new arrivals.[1] Save the Children has set up two childcare centres in Herat to give children psychosocial support and a safe place to play when they arrive. The centres are full, with up to 400 children visiting daily.
Speaking from the border, Hameed*, a Child Protection Officer for Save the Children Afghanistan, said:
"The situation for children and families is not good. They are under the hot sun without any shelter or shade. Some families are staying here for up to two nights.
"They don’t have enough food and are very stressed. In Iran, they attended school. Now they’re facing an unexpected emergency. Many are very worried, and some are sad because their siblings remain in Iran.”
Afghanistan already has one of the largest internally displaced populations in the world – 4.2 million people - with that number likely to increase this year as Afghans leave or are deported from Iran and Pakistan [3]. About one in five children in Afghanistan are facing crisis levels of hunger before October, with funding cuts reducing the amount of food aid available for families.
Samira Sayed Rahman, Advocacy Director, Save the Children Afghanistan, said:
“Many Afghan children are leaving Iran with next to nothing, with families crossing the border with just what they can carry. They are exhausted, afraid, and unsure how they will survive in a country already grappling with hunger, poverty, and the fallout of massive aid cuts.
“More than one million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan in just the first six months of 2025. A million people in need of food, homes and income at a time when nearly half the Afghan population are already in need of aid. The new wave of returns is pushing an overstretched system to the brink.
“We have a collective responsibility not to look away. The international community must step up now to ensure Afghan children and their families are not left without the support and hope they urgently need.”
Save the Children has been supporting communities and protecting children's rights across Afghanistan since 1976, including during periods of conflict and natural disasters. We have programmes in 10 provinces and work with partners in an additional 11 provinces. Since August 2021, we've scaled up our response to support the increasing number of children in need. We deliver services spanning health, nutrition, education, child protection, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene and livelihoods.
ENDS
MEDIA CONTACT: 0437825143 or media.team@savethechildren.org.au.
References:
* Denotes name changed to protect identity.
[1] Data for May and June from The Border Consortium from the Islam Qala crossing point in Herat. The Border Consortium is a forum of 11 humanitarian NGOs and UN organisations who are leading the emergency response for returnees in Afghanistan, including Save the Children.
[2] https://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/unhcr-sees-sharp-increase-afghan-returns-adverse-circumstances-iran-afghanistan
[3] https://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/afghanistan/